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The first of a new class of destroyers named for King Sejong the Great will be launched late this month. Korea's new ship with its Aegis combat system will be more powerful than Japan's most advanced Aegis vessel.
Aegis vessels are called naval "dream weapons", equipped with powerful radar systems that can detect and help destroy enemy aircraft or missiles hundreds of kilometers away.
"The King Sejong the Great-class destroyer will be launched from Hyundai Heavy Industries' dock late this month," a military source said Monday. "Carrying a sophisticated radar system and a large array of missiles, King Sejong-class destroyers have better attack capabilities than Atago-class vessels, Japan's most up-to-date Aegis vessel which were deployed warfare-ready in March."
King Sejong-class destroyers carry 32 to 38 more missiles than any of Japan's five Aegis ships. They will also carry about 30 Chonryong ("sky dragon") ship-to-surface cruise missiles with a range of more than 500 km and about 10 Hongsango ("red shark") long-range ship-to-submarine missiles with a range of more than 19 km. Both missiles were developed in Korea.
All the features make King Sejong-class destroyers a kind of strategic weapons systems with strategic attack capabilities. Japan's Aegis ships carry no ship-to-surface missiles.
Korea is the fifth country with Aegis ships, following the U.S., Japan, Spain, and Norway. But the King Sejong-class destroyers are reportedly the second most powerful after the American version.
The first of the vessels will be deployed warfare-ready next year after about a year of testing. Two more will be put into service by the Navy in 2010 and 2012.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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